Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Melbourne, FL

September 17, 2008Volusia County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at Sep 17, 2008, 3:19 PM EDT for Volusia County, Florida. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 17, 2008, 3:19 PM EDT (19:19 UTC)
Expired
Sep 17, 2008, 3:45 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:21 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 83 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-09-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 860 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-09-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -15 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
860 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
787 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS52 KMLB 171919
TORMLB
FLC127-171945-
/O.NEW.KMLB.TO.W.0027.080917T1919Z-080917T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
319 PM EDT WED SEP 17 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL VOLUSIA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 316 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF LAKE ASHBY...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF LAKE HELEN...
  MOVING SOUTH AT 8 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LAKE ASHBY BY 345 PM EDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A STRONG BUILDING ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR...IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A BATHROOM OR CLOSET.
KEEP AWAY FROM WINDOWS. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF
STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY.

EVACUATE MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO
SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE IF THE
TORNADO IS NEARBY.

LAT...LON 2894 8103 2890 8118 2905 8121 2909 8114
TIME...MOT...LOC 1918Z 343DEG 7KT 2904 8116

$$

WEITLICH
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KMLB 171943
SVSMLB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
343 PM EDT WED SEP 17 2008

FLC127-171951-
/O.EXP.KMLB.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-080917T1945Z/
VOLUSIA FL-
341 PM EDT WED SEP 17 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL VOLUSIA COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 345
PM EDT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE SEVERE STORM AND
TORNADO THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND NO LONGER APPEARED
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER...THUS THE
WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER...HEAVY RAIN AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE.

LAT...LON 2894 8103 2890 8118 2905 8121 2909 8114
TIME...MOT...LOC 1941Z 343DEG 7KT 2900 8115

$$

WEITLICH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Melbourne, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 17, 5:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOrange, Osceola15 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.